Self-Injuring a Growing Behavior Amongst Teens
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
LOS ANGELES — Sara Kalaba's body bears the legacy of her pain — scars where she has cut her ankles, legs and arm are evidence of troubled relationships and arguments with her parents.
"I didn't really care, so I was just like, this is what makes me feel better, this is what I'm going to do, and no one's going to stop me," Kalaba said.
Deliberate wounding, or self-injury (search), is a growing phenomenon, especially among teenage girls. Cutting, burning, hair-pulling, even bone breaking, they say, provide relief from pressure and stress.
"These people are not crazy... They are non-verbally communicating that they are in pain," said Andrew Levander, director of the Vista del Mar Self-Injury Program (search), a center that specializes in the treatment of self-injury.
Experts believe two to three million Americans are affected with the behavior including up to 10 to 15 percent of teenagers. Some estimate the number has doubled in the last three years.
"It's perhaps the fastest growing behavioral problem affecting adolescents in our country," said Levander. "And it's terrifying to think where it's going to go with such a lack of therapeutic resources available."